"The one thing about my husband and I...we laugh...A lot. We find a way. We really do. Poop filled sleepless nights, injuries, missed appointments, clutter everywhere, missing paperwork...sometimes all you can do is laugh. But today, looking at the dark circles we've seen so many times under our children's eyes, seeing the suffering, the real genuine human suffering that we have worked for three years to alleviate...to see it reach these depths...there is no laughing today. There is sadness. Even the fight is gone. I should be sleeping, but I have to read up on one of our new remedies. Maybe this will be the one that touches his immune damage and regulates him? Maybe. Maybe, it will work for him like it has for THOUSANDS of other children. Maybe. I can't sleep when this could be it and I could be calling the next doctor tomorrow and we could have one less day of this. Plus, I already have an appointment to see a doctor tomorrow and I will need him to know that I know what I'm talking about. If there is one thing you learn as an autism parent it is that YOU MUST KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT WITH DOCTORS. You must learn to speak their language. If you don't you will get dismissed. Must read, now.

But, before I go, just need to let everyone know the women who work for us are angels from God. They were hurt today. Two of them. In their sweetest voices they kept repeating, "nice hands." And "time to get down monkey" when he climbed on the counter for the 27th time on their shift. He is 50 lbs now. Very fast and very strong. They get him. They see the real Noah in there, fighting like hell. He is mad. In fact, that's what he said in therapy today, "I'm MAD!" His therapists were thrilled. They were so excited to see him emote appropriately. I agree with them, it's encouraging. It's just that, he's mad he's sick. He's mad his head hurts all the time. He's mad his three year old brother can use the toliet and he cannot. He's mad that his body is rebelling against him and everything hurts. He's mad that in addition to not getting to go where everyone else goes and doing all the fun things other 5 year olds do, he also cannot EAT anything they do. It seems cruel doesn't it? It is.

Autism is the cruelest most malicious, devious, conniving, heinous disease. If you fear the chicken pox or diarrhea more you are in big, big trouble. Because I guarantee with the new schedule autism will come a knocking at your door. And it will get in. It finds a way. Sometimes it looks like OCD, sometimes it looks like ADHD, even arthritis. "That's nuts!", you say. Not really. It should all just be called autism. Because any time pharma causes inflammation they don't want you to find out about, they just make up a word for it. Autism. Asthma. ADD. Just made up words for inflammation. Off to read ABOUT AUTISM . It's a good one, you might want to check it out yourself... Much hope for all our beautiful children. xo lj "

"The expression of many genes that have previously been associated with autism is abnormal also in violent psychopathy, a new study shows..."

"The study shows that psychopathy is associated with robust alterations in the expression of genes and immune-response-related molecular pathways. Several of these genes have also been linked to autism. In neurons, psychopathy was associated with marked upregulation of RPL10P9 and ZNF132, and downregulation of CDH5 and OPRD1. In astrocytes, RPL10P9 and MT-RNR2 were upregulated. The expression of these genes explained 30-92% of the variance of psychopathic symptoms. Psychopathy was also associated with altered expression of proteins related to glucose metabolism and the opioid system."

"Several earlier studies have suggested that violent and psychotic behaviour are associated with alterations in glucose metabolism and opioidergic neurotransmission. The new findings support the idea of abnormal opioid system function being a factor underlying psychopathy. This suggests that using long-lasting injections of naltrexone or buprenorphine to balance the opioid system could be a feasible treatment for psychopathy."

As you may know Low Dose Naltrexone Therapy has been discussed and tried for years on some with Autism.

This has some bearing in our case, and I think ALZ and ASD share something in regard to mir-155.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

"Neuroinflammation has important effects on cognitive functions in the pathophysiological process of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). In the current report, we determined the effects of microRNA-155 (miR-155) on the levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, and their respective receptors in the hippocampus using a rat model of AD.

METHODS:

Real-time RT-PCR, ELISA and western blot analysis were used to examine the miR-155, PICs and PIC receptors. The Morris water maze and spatial working memory tests were used to assess cognitive functions.

RESULTS:

miR-155 was increased in the hippocampus of AD rats, accompanied by amplification of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Intracerebroventricular infusion of miR-155 inhibitor, but not its scramble attenuated the increases of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α and upregulation of their receptors. MiR-155 inhibitor also attenuated upregulation of apoptotic Caspase-3 in the hippocampus of AD rats. Notably, inhibition of miR- 155 or PIC receptors largely recovered the impaired learning performance in AD rat.

CONCLUSION:

We showed the critical role of miR-155 in regulating the memory impairment in AD rats likely via engagement of neuroinflammatory mechanisms, suggesting that miR-155 and its signaling molecules may present prospects in preventing and/or improving the development of the impaired cognitive functions in AD."

Abstract: This paper makes two claims: (1) autism can be characterized as a chronic low-grade encephalopathy, associated with excess exposure to nitric oxide, ammonia and glutamate in the central nervous system, which leads to hippocampal pathologies and resulting cognitive impairment, and (2), encephalitis is provoked by a systemic deficiency in sulfate, but associated seizures and fever support sulfate restoration. We argue that impaired synthesis of cholesterol sulfate in the skin and red blood cells, catalyzed by sunlight and nitric oxide synthase enzymes, creates a state of colloidal instability in the blood manifested as a low zeta potential and increased interfacial stress. Encephalitis, while life-threatening, can result in partial renewal of sulfate supply, promoting neuronal survival. Research is cited showing how taurine may not only help protect neurons from hypochlorite exposure, but also provide a source for sulfate renewal. Several environmental factors can synergistically promote the encephalopathy of autism, including the herbicide, glyphosate, aluminum, mercury, lead, nutritional deficiencies in thiamine and zinc, and yeast overgrowth due to excess dietary sugar. Given these facts, dietary and lifestyle changes, including increased sulfur ingestion, organic whole foods, increased sun exposure, and avoidance of toxins such as aluminum, mercury, and lead, may help to alleviate symptoms or, in some instances, to prevent autism altogether.

Kind of think anyone reading my posts thinks I have lost my marbles. Very well may be the case and I have no clue where they went. I doubt thimerosal is the only activators of Hyaluronic Acid as autoimmunity and other immune cells{possibly mast cells} could elicit endothelial Hyaluronic Acid.

If Cytoprotective effect of hyaluronic acid and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose against DNA damage induced by thimerosal in Chang conjunctival cells.

Thimerosal triggers hyaluronic acid it may protect the eyes and other tissue at the expense of possibly detrimental microglial activation, though the gut microbiome may connect to this as well or in addition.

"In a study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity, Ning Quan, Ph.D., lead author, a professor of biomedical science in FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine and a member of I-BRAIN, and collaborators, have discovered that hyaluronic acid may be the key in how an immune signal moves from the blood stream to the brain, activating the brain's resident immune cells, the microglia.

This unsuspected molecule may be the main signal passed between these cells, and this new discovery could lead to novel opportunities to shut down brain inflammatory responses. Findings from this study have important implications for better treatments for stroke, neurodegenerative diseases, as well as head injuries.

"We normally think of hyaluronic acid with respect to cartilage formation and also for its role in many processes including cancer progression and metastasis," said Quan. "However, what we have uncovered in our study is a completely unique role for this molecule. We have been able to document a connection between the blood cells and the brain cells, showing that the activating signal passed between these cells is hyaluronic acid."

Quan and collaborators from the Sichuan University, The Ohio State University, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, demonstrate that inflammation in the central nervous system is oftentimes quenched or restricted, as neurons are extremely vulnerable to inflammation-caused damages. However, this inflammation can be aberrantly amplified through endothelial cell-microglia crosstalk when the brain constantly receives inflammatory signals. Quan's work identified hyaluronic acid as the key signal released by endothelial cells to stimulate microglia and promote oxidative damage.

"To prevent the inflammation from being intensified in the brain, you have to stop the communication between the two cell types," said Xiaoyu Liu, Ph.D., another corresponding author of the study in FAU's Schmidt College of Medicine and I-BRAIN. "We found ascorbyl palmitate, also known as 'Vitamin C Ester,' to be quite effective in inhibiting microglia and reducing the production of inflammatory hyaluronic acid."

Life is but a dream, and I have not yet learned how to communicate in this incredible world that has revealed itself. I have given it my all but I cannot bring together all that you folks are communicating and though sir out the world. It is very difficult to exist I'll sing but not truly understanding. May God have mercy on my soul.

I can't end with a lie. I stated in the last post that her condition was a complex biological and spiritual condition. It was not spiritual in any degree. A subliminal desire to make it fit into some construct made me say that. Whatever spiritual is she has now, she did not before and this is no small matter. God's country is internal, not geographic for me. Geographic tongue is thought to be a form of psoriasis. , one minor tidbit.

I have massive amounts of inter related knowledge gathered to shed light on all of these matters, but my way has prove to be lost on others. It is inscrutably frustrating to the point I I will cease from further attempts to elucidate these matters. Hypogammaglobulinemia is a factor, but, one I understood 23 years ago. I underestimate how poorly people make connections. In 1995 my wife had what I now think is Eosinophilic Esophagitis and had a serious condition with a esophageal diverticulum which would have required a major surgery art the time. the diverticulum retraced after six weeks of diet restriction and antibiotics. these little cues were part of deciphering what I have found the be a immensely complex biological and spiritual complex condition that gave evidence in 1996 to a fantastical reality. I don't really fault others , but I have found it rather useless to communicate these matters to others, they can eventually deduce why. My story and countless others relate, but it is too difficult for most to see it.

Here is my synoptic beginning account. Goodbye.

Notebook
The collection of articles that follows the three pages of this foreword was compiled between 6/96 and 4/97. It is directed at explaining Ramona's mental condition that was a result of complex, lifelong, and to some degree progressive, biological disorders. These articles are interrelated from the perspective of its compiler as it describes her condition. Although she had no arthritis two articles about it are included as they comment on Candida.
A list of physical and mental markers that she exhibited while in this condition was as follows: 1. Almost complete inability to smell. 2. Eyes that almost constantly stayed dilated. 3. Inability to add simple math in her head. 4. Chronic gastritis, likely caused by helicobacter pylori, producing hypochlorhydria which in turn accommodates GI bacterial overgrowth constituting a cycle. 5. Extremely poor ability to remember dreams. 6. Frequent nausea & vomiting along with frequent carsickness. 7. Fungus ridden toenails, severe and chronic vaginal Candida infections along with recurrent urinary tract infections, and vaginal discharges apparently from clostridia and various other microorganisms. 8. Attention deficit and memory problems {often I would stand beside her and say her name 4 or 5 times before she "realized" I was speaking to her}. 9. Allergy/intolerance to sulfa drugs. 10. Chronic staring into space for long periods of time or trancing while performing various tasks and getting hung up on small details for hours without realizing it. 11. Lack of self, only reacting to others in a patterned way, she had no motives or feelings of her own and was often just operating at the prompting of others. 12. Geographic tongue 13. Overtly sick half of the time. {Actually sick all of the time} 14. Avoidance of eye contact especially during serious conversation {this trait was something I noticed from the time we were married and probably not noticed by others in that it occurred in relation to my trying to get her to make decisions or give opinions concerning matters that revolved around self; i.e. why do you like or dislike this, that, or someone and why did you do this or that. 15. Occasionally I received unprovoked insults and occasionally she struck me and frequently directed unmerited aggression and belligerence towards the children and myself. She usually did not recall this behavior. 16. Chronic lack of emotional reciprocity. 17. Chronic and problematic constipation 95% of the time - diarrhea the other 5%. 18. Menstrual cycles that were never timely and severe pms. 19. Hyper-somnia. {Possibly CFIDS related virus and/or a melatonin-monoamine oxidase connection}. 20. Frequently had mucous and blood in her stool. 21. Pallor-china doll complexion. 21. Bouts of bronchitis. 22. Often talked in her sleep and usually drooled while sleeping {at times I would respond to what she said and she would carry on a short, disjointed, conversation with me as she slept}. 23. Bruised easily and developed spider veins at an early age. She normally did not know what caused her bruises.24. High pain threshold. 25. Swings of depression and euphoria related to social interaction. 26. Adopted an attitude that I was going to abandon her. 27. She shutdown when presented with our first child for nursing as she did not know how to bond or relate to him. 28. Frequently feeling her face. 29. Clumsy and accident-prone and had four minor and one major traffic accident in five years. She once ran into the back of a truck while we were going down the interstate. She was the apparent cause of a multi-car accident that totaled our car, yet she could not remember braking even though she said she knew the car in front of her was stopping. I did most of the driving until this five-year period began. During these five years she had to drive often. 30. Frequently painful intercourse. 31. Ears become very red when wrong foods are eaten. Unusual spider veins in ears. 32. Her memories were in pictures, and in second person. 33. Recurrent red facial rash with light bumps in the rash. 34. Considerable weight gain. 35. Frequent headaches and migraines often accompanied by double vision. 36. Low body temperature. 37. Sun poisoning with only brief exposure. {Possibly related to phenylic PABA in her skin interacting with sunlight.} 38. Muscle pain and frequent spasms, also joint pain. 39. Pre-pregnancy stretch marks. 40. Numerous rounds of metronidazole {Flagyl} throughout her adult life and numerous antibiotics since childhood. 41. Accelerated hair loss. 42. Eyes bulged {most notably when she was pregnant or overtly ill}. Since her examination by an allergist it has been found by blood and urine analysis that she has hypothyroidism and a low functioning adrenal gland.
Over time, with hundreds of hours of counseling and my constantly teaching her about social interaction and logical thinking, she has developed a self. But this counseling /therapy would have been useless without dealing with the maze of biological problems she had and changing her diet. The following factors gave her the ability to gain reality. She began taking Diflucan{daily} for the yeast overgrowth, taking a potent multi vitamin, taking a molybdenum supplement and liquid minerals, taking evening primrose oil, taking NAC, taking additional vitamin C, avoiding wheat & dairy & sugar and other offending foods and drugs, immuneotherapy, taking thyroid medication, and taking DHEA. For a while she took digestive enzymes, acidophilus, and black walnut extract. While on this regimen most of her problems have lessened in intensity or been eliminated except, probably, her problem with sulfa drug. Her autoimmune /metabolic phenol -sulphotransferase problem may be intractable, and only kept in check by keeping the Candida & Clostridia under control and avoiding concentrated phenols and amines.
She now can smell perfectly, her eyes dilate normally and she can add math in her head without any problem. She is still sensitive to many foods and substances and even small infractions of her diet will cause her problems. She still has much progress to make as she has had a lifetime of problems and is gaining an identity by learning a personal cognitive and social construct.
It has been posited that both Clostridia and Candida {and other yeasts}, produce phenoilic compounds. Relating to clostridia Dr. Shaw reports that the urine level of dihydroxyphenylpropionic acid decreased dramatically after Flagyl was administered to a test group of autistics. Dihydroxyphenylpropionic acid would correlate with PST deficiencies and phenolic compound involvement in some cases of autism. Dr. Shaw has found high levels of tartaric acid in the urine of autistics with yeast overgrowth and noted improvement in their symptoms after giving them Nystatin. Therefore non-phenolic compounds may be implicated as well.
I do not know if her condition was/is due to a genetic condition or began as an assault on her system in a vulnerable area by vaccinations, viruses, or bacterial infection {s}. It may be a combination of all of them. I am curious about a connection to her possibly having a C4B null gene. Other women I have discussed Ramona's condition with who also had similar physical symptoms all had experienced a serious childhood illness. In each case it was either scarletina or rheumatic fever {as a child Ramona had scarletina and a number of ear infections}. It is possible that a subset of children have a direct or latent reaction to vaccinations {possibly encephalitic} that produces vulnerability to these, and possibly other, illnesses. Elevated rubella and measles titers have been found in a number of autistic children and may indicate other disease/immune interactions. If vaccinations damage the immune system the individual would then be in a precarious immune state. Once contracting certain illnesses they may in turn trigger the onset of other immune dysfunction that causes other problems or intensify existing ones and manifest themselves in various physiological and neuropsychological ways. Antibiotics taken for these illnesses would speed the onset of this condition by destroying the proper gut ecology and setting it up for yeast overgrowth and bad bacteria colonization. I also suspect that mercury from fillings and other sources was converted to methyl mercury by yeast and bacteria in her gut. The disruption in her gut and her attendant enzymatic and metabolic problems probably relate to this as the sulfur bearing amino acids contain the necessary thiols, or sulfhydrals, to bind and remove mercury ions from the body. The methyl mercury may have in turn hindered her immune function further and may have contributed to her mental dysfunction.
Sulfa drugs contain sulfur and many contain phenols {in these cases petroleum dyes that have anti-bacterial properties}. They also inhibit the proper functioning of the majority of b-vitamins {biotin, choline, folic acid, inositol, PABA, b1, b2, b3, and b5} and inhibit the removal of certain phenolic compounds. Certain B vitamins and magnesium have been found to be therapeutic for a number of autistic individuals and they appear to be helpful, along with zinc, in some cases of schizophrenia. PST and gut problems would logically interfere with B vitamin and mineral absorption and functioning. Sulfa drugs were not the source of her problem, but they gave a dramatic presentation of the underlying metabolic/immune problem. In her case it was Bactrim DS that produced this observable reaction. This concentrated phenol - sulfur dose along with Bactrim's ability to inhibit phenolic sulfation either directly caused her symptoms by a tremendous overload of her phenol-sulphotransferase pathway and/or by stimulating her immune response due to her life long phenylic sensitivity. One sulfa tablet left her severely swollen throughout her body, her face looked like she had been beaten. The pain in her feet was so bad she could barely walk, and this lasted for a week.
When she was pregnant with Jessica her vitamin levels were nil. This was according to the doctor who admitted her to the hospital for dehydration. He put her on vitamin IV's. She was just as ill with our first child Cory. During both pregnancies she was deathly ill, lost over 20 lbs., and took phenergan {phenolic} for pastime. This helps explain why she says she remembers almost nothing of the time when she was pregnant. This phenylic sensitivity may also explain why synthetic clothing {panty hose, bras, and dresses made from nylon {made from petroleum and has phenolic compounds in it} caused severe itching with panty hose leaving her digging at her legs and reaching for the Benadryl. Benadryl would then take its toll on her, as it is actively diphenhydramine. Ramona generally had dry itchy skin about her legs. Other chemicals seem to effect her also. Rayon is probably also a culprit as the compounds ammonium hydroxide, carbon disulfide, and ethyl acetate are used in its production. The residues of these compounds in clothing made from rayon apparently affected her skin. Ammonia exposure causes her headaches and mental effects.
People stressed her and she would simply react to what came her way. If Ramona was ignored or insulted she did not know how to react and she and just complied with whoever produced this situation. Being ignored or insulted are areas of self-focus and since she had no self she shut down. Without a self you can be completely innocent and that is what attracted me to her and one of the reasons that I married her. Shortly after we married her sister asked her "do you only say what Nick says, don't you have any opinions of your own?" Ramona then came to me and asked if it was all right to just say what I {Nick} said. I told her she should have opinions of her own. This incident seemed to cause her to be become contrary in her behavior as she took my response as a command and therefore began reacting as though having opinions meant being contrary to me. Since she lacked insight and common sense I would was dumbfounded at her social blindness. Our interaction led me to ask her, "I guess you must think I read minds?" I was able to deduce things from social settings that were simply normal interactive perceptions; she was not. Her whole life was unfeeling patterns imprinted in her from others.
This set of articles needs to be read as interrelated as she exhibited many autistic traits, along with the continual cognitive deficits and "reality break" of schizophrenia, and some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's. That said, her condition was most like Autism. In certain primary ways it was like an inverted Autism in that she was locked into everything outside of self. Yet, I would not say it was any of these, but a condition unto itself. I have named it "Immunoinsanity". Her logic in conversation was often disjointed and ever since I have known her she had trouble with intimate eye contact. On occasion she would insult me out of the blue for no reason and at times strike me. I would tell her that she should not hit me and that it was not appreciated. Yet, she still did it on occasion. This behavior baffled me.
Wheat will still take her out of reality and drugs or substances that are phenolic effect her quite severely. These reactions are not obvious to the casual observer as she does not bite, kick or, scream. Yet it is clear her memory is affected, as is her reasoning ability. In her case of not knowing what having a self was is best summed up by the idea you don't know what you don't know. She remembered in a trivial way with everything standing alone having no relevance to other events or relationships in her life. She retained patterns and facts, but had no feeling or attachment that ever caused contemplation, reflection, or association. Basically she was a reflective machine that everyone liked because she reflected him or her and people generally like that. She never displayed any selfish motives although her behavior at times seemed very selfish. She never really hated or loved. For her it was not possible. She had no control. I have, since having understood her past condition, affectionately thought of her as the "human pinball".
I suspect that some damage or disorder had been occurring in her limbic system, and that her temporal lobes have been impacted as well. This was likely caused by a toxic phenol overload and/or a disruption of function of neurotransmissions by exogenous endorphins from undigested gluten, giladin, or casein called peptides. Because "peptides are the actual epitopes or immunolgically critical signals cut out from foreign proteins and presented to immunecompetent cells for antibody formation, it is possible that molecular mimicry occurred with cross reactivity towards endogenous proteins. On this premise one may envision antibodies attacking her brain receptors", other brain cells, or myelin and doing further damage.
It is also my contention that her dopamine levels were drastically out of control as phenylalanine is involved with dopamine levels. If her phenol-sulfotransferase pathway was deficient {this enzyme group metabolizes phenols, amines - which includes certain neurotransmitters, salicylates, and hormones} then the levels of dopamine production, uptake, and removal would be disturbed, as would other neurotransmitter and hormonal levels. Dopamine levels are suspected as a central factor in schizophrenia. The dopamine levels would then interact with other neurotransmitter levels {esp. serotonin} and create chaos in cognition and affective stability. In the near future she will undergo an EEG to try to determine if there is damage to her brain or if abnormalities exist. She is also getting ready to have a hair analysis done to measure the mercury levels in her body.
This paragraph deals with areas that I am just now looking into and am only considering the possibility of their involvement. I am wondering if HSV, cytomegalovirus, or other viruses may be present and have a role in her immune problems. Viruses that may produce encephalopathic or encephalitic effects are being considered. Certain viruses could possibly cause subcutaneous brain inflammation and account for her bulging eyes at times when she seems to have a viral infection. I realize this may be a result of her thyroid condition, but the timing suggests viral connections. Maybe any viral infection activates this condition or interacts with a latent virus. The immune modulator IVIG might be helpful in dealing with her immune system disorder, but that will be something considered more seriously down the road. An immunologic panel may be helpful in determining possible viral connections. I know something is very wrong with her immune system as she still has mental slowing and change {not just normal lethargy and irritability} whenever she gets a virus, not just when she eats the wrong foods. Although improved she still contracts illnesses more often than would be expected.
The problems here are so bizarre and complex that it may be hard for anyone who did not live with her and observe these traits and connections to understand or make sense of any of this as relating to each other or to anything. It's worth a try.

Nick 7/04/97 {edited since 7/04/97}
Addendum - On 7-11-97 Ramona also began taking l-carnitne. It is involved in fatty acid metabolism. It already seems to be helping, but a few more weeks of taking it is needed to be sure it is responsible for the additional improvement. I am also preparing to give her alpha-keto glutaric acid, which is a pre-cursor to carnitine production in the body. It also helps with cellular ammonia detoxification, among other things.
I can tell that the approach taken to deal with her condition has allowed her gastrointestinal functioning to greatly improve, but I still believe that there is room for more. A trial of betaine hydrochloric acid tablets to aid digestion and maintain a proper ecology will be given to her to see if any other benefits may be given her. Glutamine is also planned to help with intestinal healing. Methyl Sulfonyl Methane, or MSM is also planned. Update 9/16/97 - MSG {mono-sodium-glutamate} is harmful to her mental condition and Glutamine, in supplement form, may be.
Update 12/10/97 – Since Ramona was still having an acetone odor to her breath I suspected that she was not rid of her parasite problem and she began taking “Michael’s Paraherbs” on 11/27/97. Within a week she was passing worms and other odd looking {probably parasites} items that were visible in her stool. She is still passing worms. She also began taking Vitamin A in the form of cod liver oil and chelated iron. On 12/10/97 we received Ramona’s hair test which revealed a .007 lithium content {extremely low}, low manganese, disturbed mineral ratios, and a very high aluminum content. The mercury level was low, but I believe that the hair test may be unreliable regarding methyl mercury effects and levels. I am still studying the possible mercury connections. I believe a hair test result two years ago would have revealed far greater imbalances and deficiencies since many steps have been taken in the interim that undoubtedly have improved these conditions.
Continued 7-11-97
In the foreword I stated that Ramona had memories in second person and later I called her condition "Immuno Insanity". I was at a loss of how to relate what picture was forming as to the state of her mind and cognition, or lack thereof. I realize now that the second person statement is not helpful in conveying an understanding of the condition and maybe just inaccurate. I will try again.
The closest encompassing concept I have found and adapted is one taken from a theory about language and literature that developed in the 1970s. It is called deconstruction, and was proposed by Jacques Derrida. For the "coherent" individual I find the theory a convenient way to escape from objective realities, presuming one believes in such. It is therfore personally invalid, and only a nice reference point for distinguishing practical reality from chaos. To me chaos is where his theory ultimately leads. Yet for the incoherent mind, as was Ramona's, the theory is applicable. This application is made in the realm of her psyche.
"In the theory of deconstruction and for the deconstructionist, language is everything. What most characterizes deconstruction is its notion of textuality; a view of language as it exists not only in books, but also in speech, in history, and in culture. The world itself is "text." Language directs humanity and creates human reality. (A reality that cannot be named or described is illusory, at best.) Yet, upon close examination, words seem to have no connection with reality or with concepts or ideas."
The biological disruption in Ramona's brain produced chaos and a state of unreality. Her world was like this theory it had appearances of reason and connection to an outside interpreter {anyone around her}, but on closer examination her actions and words had no connection with reality or with concepts or ideas. This was true for her, yet it is hard for those without {the interpreters} to embrace such chaos without imputing reasoning, motives, and/ or will in their interpretation. That is how most "well" people react to mental illness when they see it in others. In Autism an explanation called "Theory of Mind" is used to explain the disturbed or chaotic mind. In general mental illness (Autism is not a mental illness} is explained by terms like psychosis and dementia. Yet, even in these understood terms the interpreters have no way to really empathize with someone with mental problems. If one had severe problems themselves and recovered they might understand the plight. Even so, Ramona cannot make sense of what happened in her mind. She did not have dementia she had amentia.
With the deconstruction concept in mind I have found a better descriptive and more sophistric name to describe her past condition. The better name is "MIND syndrome" or "MINDS". This stands for "Metabolic Immuno Neurologic Deconsrtuction Syndrome."
9-25-97
Now that Ramona has made such dramatic improvement I have observed another interesting trait in her. She has a completely uncontrollable "startle response" when looking me in the eye. Even if she is prepared and knows I am going to attempt to startle her if she is looking me in the eyes, a quick motion or moderate to loud sound will cause her to flinch. She often has an attendant rush of adrenaline at these moments. Under certain conditions she can even startle herself while making noises. This has happened when she was doing a task at the same time that she was being vocally expressive in a dynamic way. It was tied to being spontaneous. It is likely that while she was in her previous condition she probably had some paralyzing responses to such stimuli, but had no mental capacity to connect to an outward startle reaction. This would have been reflexive, and not consciously suppressed or understood.
Nick

Madonna ended up ‘begging’ Abba to use sample
.
Madonna has revealed that she wrote a letter to the members of ABBA begging to use their music on one of her tracks.

The star wanted permission to sample the Swedish pop titans’ massive 1979 disco hit ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme (A Man After Midnight)’ for her latest single ‘Hung Up’, out on November 7.

Songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus very rarely allow other artists to use their tracks.

Speaking to Attitude magazine, Madonna said: “I had to send my emissary to Stockholm with a letter and the record begging them and imploring them and telling them how much I worship their music, telling them it was an homage to them, which is all true.

“And they had to think about it, Benny and Bjorn. They didn’t say yes straight away. They never let anyone sample their music. They could have said no. Thank God they didn’t.”

Andersson was recently quoted as saying: “We get so many requests from people wanting to use our tracks but we normally say no. This is only the second time we have given permission.”

"New research provides some of the first experimental evidence that inflammatory processes influence our decisions. The findings, which appear in the journal Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, suggest that factors that promote inflammation may also contribute to impulsivity.

“We initially became interested in this topic after beginning to explore the role of the body’s condition (e.g., hunger, health, etc.) on decision-making in a variety of domains, like interpersonal processes, risk-taking, and impulsivity,” said study author Jeff Gassen, a doctoral candidate at Texas Christian University and member of Sarah Hill’s Evolutionary Social Psychology Lab.

“We developed a hypothesis that the immune system may play an important role in calibrating individuals’ behavior to their bodily state, given that the immune system both monitors the state of the body and can communicate with the brain. Specifically, inflammation increases when the body is threatened or in poor condition, a time when an individual needs to invest in what’s going on right now (whether it be rewards, opportunities, or taking steps to recover) and think less about the future.”

The researchers were specifically interested in the relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokines and delay discounting. Cytokines are proteins produced by the immune system, while delay discounting is the tendency to take a smaller reward that is available immediately rather than a larger reward that will be delivered in the future.

“So, we predicted that inflammation may play a mechanistic role in increasing present focus. We also have a recent paper published in Scientific Reports, that outlines our theoretical model in more detail,” Gassen said.

I suppose I have almost come full circle. Having sought through science a satisfying and complete enough explanation it has always been missing any real point. Since I am one who believes in revelation of the Divine it, the experience and knowledge this journey has supplied, should fit somehow. I am not demoting science it just lacks some things. Many may find this absurd, and I am only suggesting possible validity for what is on the page linked. A few posts back I linked Sam Cooke's "Touch the Hem of His Garment". I finally am discerning some Providence again in my trial and journey.

I almost never swear and disavow its use in an earlier post. Microtubules and the quantum world? Maybe some wonderful music there too? Micro tubules are not discussed in the article, yet one could speculate.

The Good Vibrations of Quantum Field Theories

"Quantum fields are really a mind-bending way of thinking. Everything—and I mean everything —is just a consequence of many infinitely-large fields vibrating. The entire universe is made of fields playing a vast, subatomic symphony. Physicsts are trying to understand the melody."

I have traveled to the end of f my understanding and sanity and the arrows end up pointing a certain way. I must needs go home. My apologies to any expecting another reality. My honest conclusion. My sister says she was born into an ocean of love. We both were. Praise God.

Thanks Hans, I had not returned to find what you have reported though some of the information is accurate as to processes. {Should be nonplussed a couple of posts back as when myself I fully know., I have to get a grip on this though the madness of this who0le experience has screwed with my head.)

"Are you familiar with the website ?" "https://epiphanyasd.blogspot.com/"
I have been through the things there yeas before anyone discussed the matter.

Posted by: Visitor | April 20, 2019 at 05:59 PM

They are a pro-pharma run group. Out of the former Yugoslavia region. Peter somebody.
What is contained may sometimes very well be valid however they launched a vicious attack denouncing the Geiers & defended intravenous mercury which is just incredible.
They are a pro-vaccine team and they think autism came down with acid rain.
I had it with them, they have got nothing in reply. And have never returned.

The sad things is people are not usually moved from intrinsic agreement and await external validation..
God is immanent ready to move with a spirit. The spirit is excluded and becomes dependent on the physical.
God is preempted in favor of groupthink.

Saw Avengers' Endgame Saturday. Glorious! So good! They included a song I absolutely love from my teens. I had played this song for my children some years ago and they were not plussed. Since they are Avengers fans and it is in the movie I suspect they may change there tune.
Rubber Band Man - How can this not move someone?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1BX9VWMP7c

I can't contain my appreciation for Bob Moffit. God bless you. Also I absolutely love Kin and Teresa. Conrick. Such strong and beautiful people that show God to me. Teresa, I am with you in spirit, keep going.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O94CW_tIEzU

In mice, eliminating damaged mitochondria alleviates chronic inflammatory disease. I have felt and known this, and don't don't know what connection this has to: "It is finished". Bless the Lord Jesus I am trying..

I will likely not be remembered for much. I have been open to what is occurring in life, God and faith have waxed and waned in my life for many years. The incidents have meaning, but always eventually wane. What seems to hit me in the face id God's grace. I know of proteins and pathologies, but God is Love.

I am not all that secure and make statements that I think better of after I recover. This being a last post is one. This link and info speaks of things I found some years before this was posted and I would add depending on the case there may be much more involved as in epigenetics or other gene effects. Yet, here is some aspect of what is involved in what is diagnosed as autism in may cases.

The Underlying Mechanisms of Brain Allergies

Psychoneuroimmunology

"A connection between mood and the immune system has been suggested, with brain chemistry as the link. Ader suggests that the limbic system is where chemical messengers from the immune system have action.1 Felten noticed that the autonomic nervous system can be affected by emotions; in particular, insulin and blood pres-sure regulation. He also discovered synapse-like contacts linking the auto-nomic nervous system with lymphocytes and macrophages.2 Apparently, neuro-transmitters regulate immune cells.

The most vulnerable place in the brain for immune signal effects is the hypo-thalamus because it lacks a blood brain barrier (BBB). During a cold, the hypo-thalamus receives cytokine stimulation that alters homeostatic set points leading to fever, loss of appetite, insomnia and dia-phoresis. Even the common cold can make a person feel irritable, restless, achy, and down. One might assume that humoral cytokines and histamines would not enter other brain structures because of protec-tion by the BBB but that assumes that the integrity of the BBB is intact. Some people may have compromised barriers leaving them with more widespread effects of unwelcome substances.3

Psychoimmunoendocrinology

The elucidation of synaptic transmis-sion as the means of neuronal communi-cation in the brain was revolutionary. It is convenient to think of the synaptic event as a packaged phenomenon, but neuro-transmitters are not selective, their receptors are. The distribution of receptors and synaptic vesicles for specific neuro-transmitter substances do not correlate well within regions of the brain. Less than two percent of neuronal communication actually happens at the synapse.4 A neuro-transmitter substance can bind a postsynaptic receptor, bind a presynaptic auto-receptor, be degraded by enzymes, be taken up presynaptically, or diffuse into the environment of the brain until it can influence receptors distal to the site of release. In other words, the brain’s communication system resembles the endocrine system. This concept opens up a wide range of possibilities for chemical influences at various sites in the brain.

Endocrine and immune influence on the mind occurs via receptors present on brain tissue. The brain has receptors for sex hormones. In utero, the developing brain is gender specific under the influence of estrogen and testosterone.5 The release of certain neuropeptides may be modulated by feedback mechanisms. For example, thyrotropin releasing hormone is upregulated by dopamine and down-regulated by serotonin.6 Histamine, a common secretion of immune activity, has at least three types of receptors to choose from in the brain.7 Histamine is now being recognized as a neuoractive amine on top of its role in the rest of the body. Furthermore, hormones and cytokines have effects on the enzymes controlling brain communicating sub-stances. For example, conjugated estrogen inhibits monoamine oxidase activity thereby elevating mood.8

Allergic Reactions

Symptoms: Adverse reactions from food are usually termed “food allergy” if it is histamine related or “food hypersensitivity” if it is otherwise. Allergic reactions to food exposure can range from the very mild, as in hives, to severe, the most serious being anaphylaxis. That type of response, however, is not the focus of this discussion, which intends rather to explore the “masked allergy” that may or may not involve the immune system directly but does have an impact on brain’s function: i.e., food intolerance that slowly inhibits wellness.

What Pfeiffer called the “allergy-tension-fatigue syndrome” involves a variety of symptoms ranging from hyperactivity to somnolance. The most commonly incriminated foods are cow’s milk, wheat, beef, bananas, chocolate and sugar. The neurological symptoms he noticed in his patients when they ate some of these foods in-cluded:"

"A new study in mice reveals that Candida albicans — a fungus largely perceived as harmless — can cause memory problems and brain abnormalities that resemble those characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.

scientist regrafting bacteria

C. albicans is the most common and best-studied cause of fungal infections in humans.

Candida albicans is a species of fungus that grows naturally in the human gut, mouth, and vagina.

Although the yeast is mostly harmless, it can develop into issues ranging from thrush to more serious infections that reach the blood and other organs.

C. albicans is the most common cause of fungal infections in humans, as well as the most extensively studied fungal pathogen that affects people.

A new study, which appears in the journal Nature Communications, adds to the existing body of knowledge about C. albicans.

The new research shows that the fungus can enter the brain, trigger an inflammatory response, and impair memory in mice.

Importantly, the infection leads to the formation of abnormal structures in the brain, and these share similarities with amyloid plaques — a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

Dr. David B. Corry, a professor of medicine-immunology, allergy, and rheumatology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, is the corresponding and final author of the new study.

Finally, the scientists decided to inject a dose of 25,000 yeasts in the rodents' bloodstream. Dr. Corry and the team were surprised to discover that the fungus penetrated the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier is a mechanism that protects the brain from pathogens that may exist in the blood. The barrier separates the brain's capillaries, or blood vessels, from the brain's cells and tissue.

C. albicans crossed this barrier and affected the brain's immune cells. "We thought that yeast would not enter the brain, but it [did]," comments Dr. Corry.

"In the brain, the yeast triggered the activity of microglia, a resident type of immune cell," he explains, adding, "[t]he cells became very active, 'eating and digesting' the yeast. They also produced a number of molecules that mediated an inflammatory response, leading to the capture of the yeasts inside a granule-type structure inside the brain."

I don't know what to make of the whole 9 yards. I have studied many issues for over 20 years and find that it made sense in many ways "scientifically "yet all of this has a dimension that I don't comprehend. I will simply offer my apologies for intruding into this effort and also for my comments made when I was not in my right senses. These comments may sound measured, but I am very perplexed to put it mildly. Off and on there seemed to be more than there appeared though the notion was too incredible to integrate to my reality. . I believe this is my last post here. Thank any who have attempted to assist.

Like to read the whole report, though have already surmised this. Search back this thread if interested.

Analysis of neurodevelopmental delay in children exposed in utero to hyperemesis gravidarum reveals increased reporting of autism spectrum disorder

Highlights

• Neurodevelopmental diagnoses in children exposed to Hyperemesis Gravidarum were compared to diagnoses in unexposed children.
• Hyperemesis Gravidarum may be associated with a 3-fold increase in odds of having a neurodevelopmental diagnosis ∼age 12.
• 8% (22/267) of children exposed to HG in utero were reported by mothers to have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis.
• None (0/93) of the unexposed children were reported by their mothers to have ASD.
• As early intervention for ASD can be critical to prognosis, larger studies are urgently needed to confirm the findings.

Abstract

"The purpose of this study was to follow up on the reporting of neurodevelopmental disorders in children exposed in utero to Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). This was an exploratory descriptive study whereby neurodevelopmental outcomes of 267 children delivered by 177 mothers with HG were compared to neurodevelopmental outcomes from 93 children delivered by 60 unaffected mothers. Similar to at age 8, the children (now 12) exposed in utero to HG had over 3-fold increase in odds of neurodevelopmental disorders including attention, anxiety, sensory, sleep difficulty, and social development delay/social anxiety. However, with the longer follow-up, there was also a significant increase in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), reported in 22/267 (8%) of children exposed to HG in utero and no unexposed children. As early intervention for ASD can be critical to prognosis, larger studies are urgently needed to determine whether ASD is associated with exposure to HG."

An additional part from the Wiki entry on CCR4 I quoted a bit from about chemokines involved mentioned in the last post I should have added this. Sometimes I assume people are seeing the things I find naturally involved. This pertains to the angiogenesis I have been highlighting in this thread as it relates to CCR4/CCL17. I will just repost what I did before plus the last paragraph added.

"The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor family. It is a receptor for the following CC chemokines:

"Chemokines are a group of small structurally related proteins that regulate cell trafficking of various types of leukocytes. The chemokines also play fundamental roles in the development, homeostasis, and function of the immune system, and they have effects on cells of the central nervous system as well as on endothelial cells involved in angiogenesis or angiostasis.[7] "

New role for the allergy driver: It influences signal transmission in the brain

"The chemotactic protein CCL17 attracts immune cells to where they are currently needed. Doctors have long known: A high level of this substance in the body indicates an allergic reaction. A team of scientists led by the University of Bonn has now discovered a completely new function: CCL17 also influences signal transmission in the brain. There may even be a molecular link to autism. The results have now been published in the journal Glia.

Chemotactic cytokines, chemokines for short, are signaling proteins that act like an attractant and ensure, for example, that immune cells migrate from the bloodstream into the tissues. The chemokine CCL17 is known to increase inflammation and is associated with allergic diseases. A high level of CCL17 in the blood is regarded by doctors as a diagnostic marker of ongoing allergic reactions such as atopic eczema. The further the research on chemokines progresses, however, the more functions are discovered. Thus, an earlier joint study by the Universities of Münster and Bonn showed that animals with a defect in the expression of the receptor for CCL17 have behavioral problems: For example, they were unable to build proper nests like their normally developed mates.

"These behavioral changes indicated that CCL17 not only affects the immune system but perhaps also the brain," explains the corresponding author of the study, Prof. Dr. Irmgard Förster from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn, who is also a member of the Cluster of Excellence "ImmunoSensation." If there is such a connection, which cells in the brain produce CCL17? This question was investigated by doctoral student Lorenz Fülle and Irmgard Förster, together with scientists from the Institute of Cellular Neurosciences around Prof. Dr. Christian Henneberger, Dr. Annett Halle from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Dr. Judith Alferink from the University of Münster.

Through a genetic modification, the researchers coupled the release of CCL17 with the production of a fluorescent dye that illuminated all cells that produce the chemokine. The scientists additionally stimulated CCL17 production by simulating an infection using a substance contained in bacterial cell membranes. The production sites of the chemokine in the brain were then clearly visible under the microscope. "CCL17 is mainly produced by neurons of the hippocampus," reports lead author Lorenz Fülle. This structure, which is shaped like a seahorse, is present on the right and left side of the brain, and fulfills an important function in tasks such as orientation and memory formation.

Scientists blocked the gene for CCL17

As a next step, the scientists blocked the gene for CCL17 production and observed the effect. In the absence of the chemokine, the microglial cells in these "knockout" mice were significantly smaller and there were only half as many as in untreated control animals. Microglial cells have long been known as immune cells of the brain, where they take responsibility as "health guards" for the disposal of cell debris and infectious agents. Meanwhile, it has been shown that these "scavenger cells" also directly support the work of the neurons independently of their phagocytic activity.

In order to investigate the effect of CCL17 on the function of neurons, scientists in the laboratory of Prof. Dr. Christian Henneberger at the Institute of Cellular Neurosciences (University of Bonn Medical School) examined neuronal signaling in the brain. Henneberger: "The experiments indicate that CCL17 attenuates signal transmission in the hippocampal region of the brain." Since autism in humans is also associated with elevated levels of CCL17 in the blood, CCL17 could also play a role in this developmental disorder, for example due to an infection or an allergic reaction in early childhood. "But so far these are speculations," says Förster. "The exact effects of CCL17 have yet to be demonstrated by further research."

The C-C Chemokines CCL17 and CCL22 and Their Receptor CCR4 in CNS Autoimmunity.

"The C-C class chemokines 17 (CCL17) and 22 (CCL22) and their C-C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) have been shown to play an important role in homeostasis and inflammatory responses. Here, we provide an overview of the involvement of CCR4 and its ligands in CNS autoimmunity."

Here is some info from a report I posted here in 2013.

Elevated serum levels of macrophage-derived chemokine and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in autistic children

"Background

In some autistic children, there is an imbalance of T helper (Th)1/Th2 lymphocytes toward Th2, which may be responsible for the induction of the production of autoantibodies in these children. Th2 lymphocytes express CCR4 receptors. CCR4 ligands include macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) and thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC). They direct trafficking and recruitment of Th2 cells. We are the first to measure serum levels of CCR4 ligands in relation to the degree of the severity of autism...

Conclusions

Serum levels of CCR4 ligands were elevated in autistic children and they were significantly correlated to the degree of the severity of autism. However, further research is warranted to determine the pathogenic role of CCR4 ligands in autism and to shed light on the therapeutic role of CCR4-ligand antagonism in autistic children."

The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the G protein-coupled receptor family. It is a receptor for the following CC chemokines:
CCL2 (MCP-1)
CCL4 (MIP-1)
CCL5 (RANTES)
CCL17 (TARC)[8]
CCL22 (Macrophage-derived chemokine)[9]

Regarding the last [post, it also brings up "This site is not secure. If you simply copy the link address and paste it in to a browser address bar it will bring up the report. It seems to not be willing to link from this host.

Having posted elsewhere on the sight on my view that the mother's microbiome and related immune(esp il-17} and system response influence Autism generation/risk and the pre natal health of the child, I though this piece gives some light. This is one particularly notable quote below.

TH17 cells in human recurrent pregnancy loss and pre-eclampsia

Systemic and local priming of TH17 cell differentiation in pregnancy
"Several differentiation factors and transcription factors that are unique to TH17 cells have been identified, marking TH17 cells as an independent subset of T helper cells. TGF-beta and IL-6 have been reported as the minimal requirements in mice for TH17 cell differentiation from naive CD4+ T cells; in contrast, IL-1beta plus IL-6 or IL-23 are required in human TH17 cells.47,48,49,50,51,52 IL-23/IL-23R plays an important role in stabilizing and endowing TH17 cells with pathogenic effector functions, that are regulated by serum glucocorticoid kinase 1.53 Compared with other TH lineages, including TH1, TH2 and Treg cells, TH17 cells have unique genetic programs to express the transcription factor RORgt, which induces the transcription of the Il17A gene.8 Other transcription factors, such as STAT3,54 RORalpha55 and interferon regulatory factor 4,56 have been reported to be important in TH17 differentiation. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor, an environmental toxin sensor, has also been identified as a regulator of TH17 cytokines, especially IL-22 production.57,58

In pregnancy, the fetus is similar to an allograft from the perspective of the maternal immune system. Trophoblast invasion from the allogeneic fetus and the shedding of fetal antigens may stimulate a maternal systemic inflammatory response and may therefore cause the emergence of TH17 cells. Contrary to Wegmann's hypothesis, it is surprising that many of the characteristics of a systemic inflammatory response have been demonstrated in normal pregnant women,59 including increased leukocytes,60 monocytic61 and phagocytic activity62 and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-12, IL-18 and TNF-alpha.63,64 A classical marker of inflammatory activity, C-reactive protein, is increased beginning as early as the fourth week of gestation.65 These phenomena show that pregnancy is a well-controlled systemic inflammatory state. Furthermore, it has been reported that subcellular microparticles that are shed from the placenta are present during normal pregnancy and are increased significantly in PE.66,67 These subcellular microparticles shed from the placenta are pro-inflammatory and can stimulate peripheral blood mononuclear cells in healthy non-pregnant females to produce TNF-alpha, IL-12, IL-18 and IFNG. Therefore, such microparticles might contribute to the maternal systemic inflammation observed in both normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies.68 In addition, the microparticles, cellular debris and exosomes shed by the allogeneic fetus can be captured by antigen-presenting cells, contribute to the priming of fetal-reactive T cells during pregnancy.69 However, whether these fetal antigens have a direct relationship with the differentiation of TH17 has not yet been resolved.

We and others have observed low numbers of TH17 cells and low levels of the TH17-related mRNAs RORC and IL-23R in the deciduas during normal human pregnancy.25,70 In RSA, increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 and IL-1beta, have been observed, and these cytokines have a positive correlation with the proportion of TH17 cells.12,70 The inflammatory stimulus from local allogeneic fetal antigens, systematic inflammation and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines may induce the differentiation of TH17 cells during pregnancy."

This article ties blood pressure to the microbiome effecting the kidneys. The substance propionate is identified as is acetate. I haven't fit this piece into the puzzle yet, but it is a part. The fact that the receptor is in "every cell in the body" makes it more intriguing. The whole piece is good.

How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure

"The researchers have uncovered a direct, molecular-level explanation of how the microbiome conspires with the kidneys and the blood vessels to manipulate the flow of blood.

The smell receptor, called Olfr78, was an orphan at first: It had previously been noticed in the sensory tissues of the nose, but no one knew what specific scent or chemical messenger it responded to. Pluznick began by testing various chemical possibilities and eventually narrowed down the candidates to acetate and propionate. These short-chain fatty acid molecules come from the fermentation breakdown of long chains of carbohydrates — what nutritionists call dietary fiber. Humans, mice, rats and other animals cannot digest fiber, but the bacteria that live in their guts can.

As a result, more than 99 percent of the acetate and propionate that floats through the bloodstream is released by bacteria as they feed. “Any host contribution is really minimal,” Pluznick said. Bacteria are therefore the only meaningful source of what activates Olfr78 — which, further experiments showed, is involved in the regulation of blood pressure.

Our bodies must maintain a delicate balance with blood pressure, as with electricity surging through a wire, where too much means an explosion and too little means a power outage. If blood pressure is too low, an organism loses consciousness; if it’s too high, the strain on the heart and blood vessels can be deadly. Because creatures are constantly flooding their blood with nutrients and chemical signals that alter the balance, the control must be dynamic. One of the ways the body exerts this control is with a hormone called renin, which makes blood vessels narrower when the pressure needs to be kept up. Olfr78, Pluznick and her colleagues discovered, helps drive the production of renin.

How did a smell receptor inherit this job? The genes for smell receptors are present in almost every cell of the body. If in the course of evolution these chemical sensors hooked up to the machinery for manufacturing a hormone rather than to a smell neuron, and if that connection proved useful, evolution would have preserved the arrangement, even in parts of the body as far from the nose as the kidneys are.

Olfr78 wasn’t the end of the story, however. While the team was performing these experiments, they realized that another receptor called Gpr41 was getting signals from the gut microbiome as well. In a paper last year, Pluznick’s first graduate student, Niranjana Natarajan, now a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, revealed the role of Gpr41, which she found on the inner walls of blood vessels. Like Olfr78, Gpr41 is known to respond to acetate and propionate — but it lowers blood pressure rather than raising it. Moreover, Gpr41 starts to respond at low levels of acetate and propionate, while Olfr78 kicks in only at higher levels.

Here’s how the pieces fit together: When you — or a mouse, or any other host organism whose organs and microbes talk this way — have a meal and dietary fiber hits the gut, bacteria feed and release their fatty-acid signal. This activates Gpr41, which ratchets down the blood pressure as all the consumed nutrients flood the circulation.

If you keep eating — a slice of pie at Thanksgiving dinner, another helping of mashed potatoes — Gpr41, left to itself, might bring the pressure down to dangerous levels. “We think that is where Olfr78 comes in,” Pluznick said. That receptor, triggered as the next surge of fatty acids arrives, keeps blood pressure from bottoming out by calling for renin to constrict the blood vessels.

The new understanding of how symbiotic bacteria manipulate blood pressure is emblematic of wider progress in linking the microbiome to our vital statistics and health. While vague statements about the microbiome’s effect on health have become commonplace in recent years, the field has moved beyond simply making associations, said Jack Gilbert, a microbiome researcher at the University of Chicago."

Getting warmer. How is it they so much when suddenly linking it to the mother's microbiome, {been there} like how vaccines could not have any influence. Please.Yet diet becomes a factor and antibiotics can cut both ways.

Autism risk determined by health of mom's gut

"While Lukens' work links the immune system with neurodevelopmental disorders, he emphasized that this in no way suggests that vaccines are contributing to the development of autism. "There's a definite link between the immune response and the developing brain," he said. "It just doesn't have anything to do with vaccines. It's much, much earlier.""

"It is worth considering that given that many vaccines require a healthy gut microbiome to work effectively, or at all, that the reason gut issues are occurring in some autism and other gut related problems is that it is the bodies attempt to prevent heightened immune response to vaccines, or dietary antigens, or simply a result of an already stimulated immune response, acquired from the mother, to disease pathogens reflecting a deregulated immune system or one hypersensitive."

Posted by: Visitor | January 09, 2016 at 05:32 PM

Visitor

"It may be that vaccines are the main catalyst for the increase in many immune related conditions{fibro, CFS, and others}, but the cumulative vaccine effects are leading to a plethora of effected mothers who are now giving birth to children already headed into autism or more children more susceptible to vaccines themselves leading into autism. So, it is not that vaccines are not an issue in most cases, but that it is getting to where immune changes in mothers response to infection additional vaccines{flu shots} and conditioned immune status effecting infants prenatally too is more often than before enough to bring about autism even before an infant receives their vaccines.

If this is the case, it blurs the line in seeing where the insults take place and ignoring immune effects in mothers by vaccines misses the tie to increased autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in the population at large. Because of these effects a child can now be born with autism beyond the limited "gene only" causes."

Sometimes those who post what you think arte off topic are trying to do a greater good then you have imagined, but thank you for your reply. I admire you, but I have approaches to help that may not be appreciated. I am those with autisms greatest supporters. The pure offensive approach without the intrinsic human appeal is lacking. I have been open including my confusion and pain. We as a community need to trust in this power of appeal to everyone as acknowledges others innate knowledge and desire for goodness to respond to the harm that is occurring. Our fellowman does care..

I realize I am not the best spokesman , but I was dismayed at how quickly AoA censored me when I am among their greatest advocates. Thank you for your response.

Dear Visitor, It's terrific to hear Rubenstein's Chopin in the morning. Thanks for that. It's amazing how music calls on different parts of the brain than logical thinking does. I'm wrestling with a Chopin nocturne these days. Sometimes it doesn't work at all, sometimes some of the pieces fall into place. Maybe I can get some of Rubenstein's emotional abandon eventually, but I seem to need to learn the notes before I can let go!

Whatever.
Trying to see things from what is needed for the genetic pool. A woman who could reflect and respond with this degree of biological dysfunction posses something that is of value to the genome. I was arrested by it, so I think I do as well. Exile for the remnant to add to the survival.

Since only Kate seems to get it I will just let the stream of consciousness go a bit and indulge myself since no one will ever believe me.

Yes, I agree with Kate. I always learn good information from your posts, Visitor. But why such a heavy heart? It is not up to one person to save the world, or the tragically complex puzzle of autism. The outcome of this battle is not resting on your shoulders alone. And when you feel overwhelmed step back, pair down what you know to basics, step away from the screen, go out in the sun,put your feet on the ground, and take a deep breath. People are like rubber bands, we can stretch and stretch, but then we must contract for a while lest we snap. Once out from under the LEDs and fluorescents, find one person to help. They are in need are everywhere, and if you throw one small stone, you will make a ripple, whether you can see the other side of the pond where it might end or not. Go talk to the head of your nearest church, tell him or her how much you know about autism, explain the concept of biomedical solutions, and volunteer to start an exploration and support group for chronic illness. Post your meetings on the church bulletin board or in their weekly newsletter. Build it, they will come. Or maybe contemplate that God or the universe may be showing you that the person you need to help right now, for just a little while, is you. It is critical that people take time for themselves, and that's ok. Have you taken the time to apply the health principals we have all discussed on this site to yourself yet? You can't escape chemistry and physics yourself, you know? Your spirit cannot soar if it is mired in sludge.
How are your D3 levels? Are you eating low carb, higher fat? Have you switched your omega 6's to omega 3s? Are you getting the right and varied probiotics? Checked your B12/folate? Have you discovered topical magnesium? Rid yourself of toxic exposures? Turning off the wireless at night? Surrounding your workspace with sun-mimicking lightbulbs like halogens? Are you "minding your mito?" Grounding yourself while at the computer? Walking in nature periodically to appreciate the beauty that God gave us that still exists in the middle of the chaos. Nobody wants a smart person like you to push themselves to the point of self-sacrifice, that would be self-defeatist in the eyes of any autism-aware person.

To know that even one is so aware of these matters bolsters my spirit. I don't know if I can persist in searching for answers, but you give me hope. To infinity and beyond. Thank you for your kindness.

Dear Visitor, I have always read and reread your posts. I value them because they are science-driven, compassionate approaches to finding the causes of autism. I hope that having gone "off the rails" refers to the period of time between your postings, and not to any feelings of inadequacy. Because from where I stand, you are incredibly competent and intelligent. Your postings give me hope. Please don't stop.

To anyone. I apologize that I have gone off the rails. I don't know if anything I have posted has ever made any difference, but I tried with every fiber my being to bring light to these matters. I have so much love and respect for almost all who post on AoA. I have found I am all too human and don't know if I am objective. The immensity of all this and my own personal experience makes discerning reality a fulltime challenge and more often I am thinking I cannot ever catchup. God bless Dr. Wakefield who has a character and insight that is pure blessing and defies description. I admire him from afar.

" Assembly-line medicine kills doctors. Brilliant, compassionate people can't care for complex patients in 15-minute slots. When punished or fired by administrators for "inefficiency" or "low productivity," doctors may become suicidal. Pressure from insurance companies and government mandates crush these talented people who just want to help patients. Many doctors cite inhumane working conditions in their suicide notes."

A lot of us have known about LPS, bacteria, and candida problems in autism forever, but trying to piece all the elements and processes into a complete picture from start to finish and understand the minute details of the processes makes for many recapitulations as though it is new, at least for me, when it is actually some stuff that was found and noted at the outset. I noticed a doctor's video on another thread about candida and there was a lot of truth in it. One of the first things we did was deal with the gut dysbiosis and candida. The constant dismissal over years made me think I had to continue to prove these aspects.

Jenny,
MIR-155 is a master inflammation regulator and as you say, is involved in many conditions. Ones that I have peaked my interest are H. Pylori control, arthritis, migraines, Diabetes, obesity, MS, Down syndrome, lupus, and of course autism. There is clearly a different amount of function in different conditions and the amounts in relation to foxp3, MIF, brain function and BBB integrity are on one side, but skin and gut function aspects of mir-155 seem to be out of sync, for lack of a better description at this point. Here are s a few info bits on it. Impaired signaling and development in T and B cells is a part of the issue it appears.

miR-155: an ancient regulator of the immune system

Summary

"MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a newly recognized class of regulatory genes which repress the expression of protein-coding genes. Numerous studies have uncovered a complex role for miRNAs regulating many aspects of a variety of cellular processes including cell growth, differentiation, and lineage commitment. In the immune system, miR-155 is unique in its ability to shape the transcriptome of activated myeloid and lymphoid cells controlling diverse biological functions ranging from inflammation to immunological memory. Not surprisingly, a tight control of miR-155 expression is required to avoid malignant transformation, as evidenced by miR-155 overexpression in many cancers of B-cell origin. In this review, we discuss the potential of miR-155 as a molecular target for therapeutic intervention and discuss the function of miR-155 in the context of protective immunity. We first look back into the emergence of miR-155 in evolution, which is coincidental with the emergence of the ancestors of the antigen receptors. We then summarize what we have learned about the role of miR-155 in the regulation of lymphoid subsets at the cellular and molecular level in the context of recent progress in this field."

"MicroRNAs are a class of small RNAs that are increasingly being recognized as important regulators of gene expression. Although hundreds of microRNAs are present in the mammalian genome, genetic studies addressing their physiological roles are at an early stage. We have shown that mice deficient for bic/microRNA-155 are immunodeficient and display increased lung airway remodeling. We demonstrate a requirement of bic/microRNA-155 for the function of B and T lymphocytes and dendritic cells. Transcriptome analysis of bic/microRNA-155–deficient CD4+ T cells identified a wide spectrum of microRNA-155–regulated genes, including cytokines, chemokines, and transcription factors. Our work suggests that bic/microRNA-155 plays a key role in the homeostasis and function of the immune system."

MicroRNA-155 is essential for the T cell-mediated control of Helicobacter pylori infection and for the induction of chronic Gastritis and Colitis.

Abstract

"MicroRNAs govern immune responses to infectious agents, allergens, and autoantigens and function by posttranscriptional repression of their target genes. In this paper, we have addressed the role of microRNA-155 (miR-155) in the control of Helicobacter pylori infection of the gastrointestinal tract and the development of H. pylori-induced chronic gastritis and associated gastric preneoplastic pathology. We show that miR-155 is upregulated in the gastric mucosa of experimentally infected mice and that miR-155(-/-) mice fail to control H. pylori infection as a result of impaired pathogen-specific Th1 and Th17 responses. miR-155(-/-) mice are also less well protected against challenge infection after H. pylori-specific vaccination than their wild-type (wt) counterparts. As a consequence of their impaired T cell responses to H. pylori, miR-155(-/-) mice develop less severe infection-induced immunopathology manifesting as chronic atrophic gastritis, epithelial hyperplasia, and intestinal metaplasia. T cells from miR-155(-/-) mice that are activated by CD3/CD28 cross-linking expand less and produce less IFN-γ and IL-17 than wt T cells. Finally, we show in this paper using adoptive transfers that the phenotypes of miR-155(-/-) mice are likely due to T cell-intrinsic defects. In contrast to wt T cells, miR-155(-/-) T cells from infected donors do not control H. pylori infections in T cell-deficient recipients, do not differentiate into Th1 or Th17 cells, and do not cause immunopathology. In addition, naive miR-155(-/-) T cells fail to induce chronic Th17-driven colitis in an adoptive transfer model. In conclusion, miR-155 expression is required for the Th17/Th1 differentiation that underlies immunity to H. pylori infection on the one hand and infection-associated immunopathology on the other."

"Amongst the most severe clinical outcomes of life-long infections with Helicobacter pylori is the development of peptic ulcers and gastric adenocarcinoma - diseases often associated with an increase of regulatory T cells. Understanding H. pylori-driven regulation of T cells is therefore of crucial clinical importance. Several studies have defined mammalian microRNAs as key regulators of the immune system and of carcinogenic processes. Hence, we aimed here to identify H. pylori-regulated miRNAs, mainly in human T cells. MicroRNA profiling of non-infected and infected human T cells revealed H. pylori infection triggers miR-155 expression in vitro and in vivo. By using single and double H. pylori mutants and the corresponding purified enzymes, the bacterial vacuolating toxin A (VacA) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) tested positive for their ability to regulate miR-155 and Foxp3 expression in human lymphocytes; the latter being considered as the master regulator and marker of regulatory T cells. RNAi-mediated knockdown (KD) of the Foxp3 transcription factor in T cells abolished miR-155 expression. Using adenylate cyclase inhibitors, the miR-155 induction cascade was shown to be dependent on the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Furthermore, we found that miR-155 directly targets the protein kinase A inhibitor α (PKIα) mRNA in its 3′UTR, indicative of a positive feedback mechanism on the cAMP pathway. Taken together, our study describes, in the context of an H. pylori infection, a direct link between Foxp3 and miR-155 in human T cells and highlights the significance of cAMP in this miR-155 induction cascade."

Expression of miRNA 155, FOXP3 and ROR gamma, in children with moderate and severe atopic dermatitis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

"Atopic dermatitis is a disease characterized by a chronic inflammatory process in the skin, but its link to miRNA 155 is less known. The aim of the study was to evaluate the expression of microRNA155, and T helper type 17 cells and Treg cells in children with atopic dermatitis.

METHODS:

The study population consisted of: children seen for atopic dermatitis at the outpatient ambulatory of Dermatology at the Children Hospital Regina Margherita, Torino, Italy,( n = 23); healthy control subjects ( n =23). Blood samples were taken during routine control analysis and the expression of miRNA 155 and the production of FOXP3 and RORˠ was determined using PCR real time.

RESULTS:

The analysis of miR-155 shows that the over-expression of miR-155 is statistically significant (p = 0.0040) in the group of patients with atopic dermatitis compared to the healthy control group. Analysis of mRNAs of FOXP3 and RORˠ shows a FOXP3 mRNA expression statistically higher in the group of patients (p = 0.0057). The Th17 / Treg ratio is significantly smaller in patients with atopic dermatitis (p = 0.0012). Also the ratio miR-155/Th17/Treg is larger in the group of patients with atopic dermatitis (p = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results suggest that increased miR-155 and FOXP3 and RORˠ responses may provide a link to immune dysregulation associated with atopic dermatitis. Although a point-by-point correlation between miR-155 and the ratio Th17/Treg is not demonstrated, our findings shows that these two elements do not appear to be completely unrelated to each other."

Cutting edge: the Foxp3 target miR-155 contributes to the development of regulatory T cells.

Abstract

"Foxp3 is a transcription factor that is essential for the normal development of regulatory T cells (Tregs). In the absence of microRNAs (miRNAs), Foxp3(+) Tregs develop but fail to maintain immune homeostasis, leading to a scurfy-like disease. Global analysis of the network of genes regulated by Foxp3 has identified the miRNA miR-155, which is highly expressed in Tregs, as a direct target of Foxp3. In this study we report that miR-155-deficient mice have reduced numbers of Tregs, both in the thymus and periphery, due to impaired development. However, we found no evidence for defective suppressor activity of miR-155-deficient Tregs, either in vitro or in vivo. Our results indicate that miR-155 contributes to Treg development, but that additional miRNAs control Treg function."

"Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by accumulation of amyloid-β plaques that further promotes microglia-mediated neuroinflammatory responses and inflammation in the brain. Emerging data are revealing the relation between gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) cells and CNS, as effector cells primed in the gut might home to the brain. This study aimed to determine cell composition of GALT in 5xFAD mice, an established model for AD. Immune cells isolated from Peyer's patches (PP) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) were stained with surface and intracellular markers for T helper (Th) subpopulations, B lymphocytes and macrophages and analyzed cytofluorimetrically, while cytokine expression and production were determined by qPCR and ELISA, respectively. Inflammation was detected in GALT of 5xFAD mice with established AD pathology. Although the production of IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10 was comparable between the strains, lower IL-17 production was observed in PP and MLN cells. This phenomenon could not be attributed to a lower abundance of Th17 cells, or cytokines that initiate their formation or propagation (TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-23). Also, reduced IL-17 production was not a consequence of altered Il-17 mRNA transcription or deficiency of Rorγt, a key transcription factor for IL-17. However, the expression of miR-155 (a non-coding micro RNA that promotes the development of Th17 cells), was significantly lower in MLN cells of 5xFAD mice. In contrast, mice without AD neuropathology did not have inflammation in GALT or altered Th17 numbers, nor decreased IL-17 production. In conclusion, the observed changes in GALT of 5xFAD mice mirror the disease progression and might reflect inadequate immune surveillance in the gut and lead to enhanced AD pathology."

This is likely involved in our case and degrees of it in others, but having discussed hyperemesis gravidarum in the past here and having long seen Helicobacter pylori as playing a role I had found this interesting. The second report one is notable too. If you have read the recent report on Natural Killer cells function in uterine fetus development the third report may show connections with the last report on Heme Oxygenase and it's impact on immune cells NK cells, T c& B cells.. {may be tying into Jaundice, biliverdin, bilirubin} The uterine NK cells also deal with the uterine lining to remove inflammation and also deal with pathogens. like bacteria.

Helicobacter pylori and pregnancy-related disorders

"Abstract

"Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is investigated in gastric diseases even during pregnancy. In particular, this Gram-negative bacterium seems to be associated with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. During the last decade, the relationship among H. pylori and several extra-gastric diseases strongly emerged in literature. The correlation among H. pylori infection and pregnancy-related disorders was mainly focused on iron deficiency anemia, thrombocytopenia, fetal malformations, miscarriage, pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. H. pylori infection may have a role in the pathogenesis of various pregnancy-related disorders through different mechanisms: depletion of micronutrients (iron and vitamin B12) in maternal anemia and fetal neural tube defects; local or systemic induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines release and oxidative stress in gastrointestinal disorders and pre-eclampsia; cross-reaction between specific anti-H. pylori antibodies and antigens localized in placental tissue and endothelial cells (pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, miscarriage). Since H. pylori infection is most likely acquired before pregnancy, it is widely believed that hormonal and immunological changes occurring during pregnancy could activate latent H. pylori with a negative impact not only on maternal health (nutritional deficiency, organ injury, death), but also on the fetus (insufficient growth, malformation, death) and sometime consequences can be observed later in life. Another important issue addressed by investigators was to determine whether it is possible to transmit H. pylori infection from mother to child and whether maternal anti-H. pylori antibodies could prevent infant’s infection. Studies on novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods for H. pylori are no less important, since these are particularly sensitive topics in pregnancy conditions. It could be interesting to study the possible correlation between H. pylori infection and other pregnancy-related diseases of unknown etiology, such as gestational diabetes mellitus, obstetric cholestasis and spontaneous preterm delivery. Since H. pylori infection is treatable, the demonstration of its causative role in pregnancy-related disorders will have important social-economic implications."

The choroid plexus epithelium as a novel player in the stomach-brain axis during Helicobacter infection.

Abstract

"Several studies suggest a link between shifts in gut microbiota and neurological disorders. Recently, we reported a high prevalence of Helicobacter suis (H. suis) in patients with Parkinson's disease. Here, we evaluated the effect of gastric H. suis infection on the brain in mice. One month of infection with H. suis resulted in increased brain inflammation, reflected in activation of microglia and cognitive decline. Additionally, we detected choroid plexus inflammation and disruption of the epithelial blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier upon H. suis infection, while the endothelial blood-brain barrier (BBB) remained functional. These changes were accompanied by leakage of the gastrointestinal barrier and low-grade systemic inflammation, suggesting that H. suis-evoked gastrointestinal permeability and subsequent peripheral inflammation induces changes in brain homeostasis via changes in blood-CSF barrier integrity. In conclusion, this study shows for the first time that H. suis infection induces inflammation in the brain associated with cognitive decline and that the choroid plexus is a novel player in the stomach-brain axis."

"The heme-degrading enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) has cytoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, HO-1 is reportedly involved in suppressing destructive immune responses associated with inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and allograft rejection. During pregnancy, maternal tolerance to foreign fetal antigens is a prerequisite for successful embryo implantation and fetal development. Here, HO-1 has been implicated in counteracting the overwhelming inflammatory immune responses towards fetal allo-antigens, thereby contributing to fetal acceptance. Accordingly, HO-1 ablation negatively impacts the critical steps of pregnancy such as fertilization, implantation, placentation, and fetal growth. In the present review, we summarize recent data on the immune modulatory capacity of HO-1 towards allo-antigens expressed by the semi-allogeneic fetus and organ allografts. In this regard, HO-1 has been shown to promote alloantigen tolerance by blocking dendritic cell maturation resulting in reduced T cell responses and increased numbers of regulatory T cells. Moreover, HO-1 is suggested to shift the uterine cytokine milieu towards a protective Th2 profile and protects fetal tissue from apoptosis by upregulating anti-apoptotic molecules. Thus, HO-1 is not only a pivotal regulator of the initial steps of pregnancy; but also, an important player in supporting the maternal immune system in tolerating the fetus.

This discovery was made by Zhigang Tian of the University of Science and Technology of China, in Hefei, and his team. Analysing natural killer cells from mice, they identified a subset that’s only produced in the uterus, and only during early pregnancy.

They named these “uterine NK cells”, and found that these cells produce large quantities of two proteins that are vital for growing fetuses.

One of these proteins, called pleiotrophin, drives the growth of blood vessels, bone, cartilage and brain fibres. The other protein, osteoglycin, orchestrates heart development and healthy growth of skin and eyes.

When the researchers examined womb tissue from 54 women, they found that those who had recently experienced miscarriages had fewer uterine NK cells than those who’d had successful pregnancies."

Close to 10 years ago I had researched that idea and ended up doing a protocol designed to handle intracellular pathogens. My wife was on Olmesartan for well over 4 years. The vitamin D issue is certainly not settled though pro D is ascendant. The Olmesartan does a lot more than activate the VDTR, it also blocks the AT1 receptor raises SOD and controls TNF-A and other cytokines.
Have posted about Autophagy a few times over the last few years in this thread.
Here is from 2013 I

"Some authorities now believe that low 25(OH)D is a consequence of chronic inflammation rather than the cause. Research points to a bacterial etiology pathogenesis for an inflammatory disease process which results in high 1,25(OH)2D and low 25(OH)D. Immunotherapy, directed at eradicating persistent intracellular pathogens, corrects dysregulated vitamin D metabolism and resolves inflammatory symptoms."
(interesting flow chart illustrations to the study)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25048990

Benedetta,
You are correct about TB and Lipopolysaccharide. I had read that it did not have it on the outer wall when dormant. This aspect is new to me and I am trying to understand how LPS levels are raised in people with the levels attributed to a dormant bacteria. I had read; " nonreplicating cells do not synthesize new cell wall" in reference to TB. I did not make that clear at all.

I put the wrong substance in that last post too. It is Lipoarabinomannan, that is a component of the TB cell wall that elicits inflammation or heightens it. Either way, TB, mycoplasma, and Helicobacter pylori are infections that have been in my scope along with Strep. I had generally though at least a part of the lipopolysaccharide was coming through the leaky gut, but pathogens also in the rest of the system added to the mix.

"Autophagy is an ancient mechanism of protein degradation and a novel antimicrobial strategy. With respect to host defences against mycobacteria, autophagy plays a crucial role in antimycobacterial resistance, and contributes to immune surveillance of intracellular pathogens and vaccine efficacy. Vitamin D3 contributes to host immune responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis through LL-37/hCAP-18, which is the only cathelicidin identified to date in humans. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of host immune strategies against mycobacteria, including vitamin D-mediated innate immunity and autophagy activation. This review also addresses our current understanding regarding the autophagy connection to principal innate machinery, such as ubiquitin- or inflammasome-involved pathways. Integrated dialog between autophagy and innate immunity may contribute to adequate host immune defences against mycobacterial infection."

visitor
so perhaps its not specifically the latency, as much as, or in addition to ability of some bacteria to subvert autophagy (remove abnormal proteins) eg bartonella, brucellosis and coxiella (borreliosis unknown).

I am not sure what you mean by production of lipopolysaccharide, but TB is like all gram negative bacteria, and lipopolysaccharide is very much present as the outer coat of that bacteria too?

TB or TB like bacteria does seems to keep showing up both in literature and in our own back yards. .

I thought TB was very much taken care of and not so much because of antibiotics, but by pasteurizing the milk.

Even with antibiotics - what happens is that the TB bacteria is never gotten rid of. The patient that is considered cured, still has it. The antibiotic just helped the patient's body to encapsulate or encase the bacteria. So a person that once had TB still has an encapsulated bacteria still within their lungs.

This fall there has been a huge number of deer dying in the woods from a wasting disease from a bacteria some what like TB, if not TB. Some times I do wonder if they really can figure out different variants of microbes, or even able to figure out what they can morph into.

This was in Kentucky. IT was so bad that the woods, waffled with the stench of rotting meat. This was here in Kentucky. But my child hood friend up in Michigan said it was the same thing gong on up there. That one farmer with a large farm had around 80 head of cattle come down with it, and the deer around his farm had it too.

We our own selves had four cows die of a wasting disease; even though the vet said old age. Hmmmm, don't think I believe that? Some of our cattle showed lameness in the back hips, then loss of weight. All regain their vigor and strength during the summer and although I agree that they were old ; they still were having calves. However; one of the younger cows were salivating extensively this spring and even though she is okay now, I think she is still on the thin side. I don't think she is going to have a calf this year, she does not look like it.

There was a cycle going on, that involve midges, water borne sucking little insects.

We ran over two baby deer this summer in our hay field. Twins, I felt really bad about it, but it was an accident and could not be helped. However it shows you just how there is contact between cattle, deer, water, food out there. Cattle of course we are closely linked to also.

There was a very well written article - I forgot the author and such, but it can be found on the internet that the prions they found in the brains of the victims of mad cow disease were really remnants of the TB bacteria. It may be that there are no such thing as prions, that is still just a theory. I have looked at it and I do know that in Organic Chemistry there was left and right molecules and it could throw a wrench some of the chemical reactions - I just don't see how they can make more of themselves? How can proteins take on what we consider the definition of life and can reproduce; make more of themselves? It makes more sense that Prions instead may be more of a signs of a slow growing; few and far between, very missed pathogenic bacteria.

And what does it take to kill these stealthy bacteria if that is true.
There was an article a while back that was sounding the alarm that the deep brain probes they were using on patients that turned out to have some kind of form of mad cow disease - were spreading to other patients that did not . Even though they were cleaning the probes between procedures apparently what they thought was disinfecting the probes was not enough to kill the prions- proteins with molecules turned the wrong way. Perhaps it was not enough to kill a few undetected bacteria.

For other reasons I had felt it could not be TB and while TB does evoke lipopolysaccharide-binding protein and bind to it TB does not produce lipopolysaccharide which is stated to be elevated in those with the bacteria.

I would believe so, given their persistence and dormancy, but many types of bacteria can become dormant. It does not speak of spores or allude to pleomorphic bacteria, so that is a mystery. It surely isn't tb, but tb fits somewhat as it is very slow growing and can become latent and tb has some connections with diabetes.. I don't know why the full report did not say anything more about the bacteria as they seem to imply they have isolated it. Either it is an unknown type or they want to keep the information to themselves at this point. I thought it interesting they mention leaky gut as that is how we see some problems coming about and I have been curious about such a pathogen for a long time.

Here is one quote. from the paper linked below.

""T2D is accompanied by long-term inflammation, and this inflammation is mediated in part by increased fibrinogen levels, as well as a changed cytokine profile that is driven, at least in part, by dysregulated glucose and insulin function. The origin of this inflammation is mostly unclear and remains unresolved in diabetes. It is known that gut dysbioses and atopobioses71 (colloquially referred to as ‘leaky gut’) are a well-known contributor to the pathogenesis of many metabolic diseases, including obesity146, T1D147, 148, T2D146, 149, 150, and CVD151. We have previously suggested that there is a fundamental link between gut dysbioses, the presence of a (dormant) blood microbiome and the presence of the highly inflammatory LPS71""

Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) reverses the amyloid state of fibrin seen in plasma of type 2 diabetics with cardiovascular co-morbidities

Abstract
"MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to contribute to malignant progression in psoriasis development. The purposes of the study was to evaluated the effects of miRNA-155 on cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis in psoriasis development via PTEN singaling pathway and identify its direct target protein. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine the level of miR-155 in psoriasis cells, miR-155 was downregulated in a psoriasis cell line Hacat by transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA), respectively. Cell survival was detected by the MTT assay and colony formation assay. Cell migration and invasion were measured via wound-healing assayand transwell assay. In addition, cell cycle and apoptosis about psoriasis cells was measured by flow cytometry. In this study, qRT-PCR assay showed that the expressions of miR-155 mRNA in psoriasis tissues were significantly higher than that in normal tissues. The assays about cell growth and proliferation showed that miR-155 knockdown led to a significant decrease in cell proliferation which was determined by MTT assay and colony formation assay compared to those of Lv-NC cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed that depletion of miR-155 could cause cell cycle change and the number of apoptotic cells was significantly increased in Lv-miR155 cells compared with control cells. In addition, the expression of several apoptosis-related factors were dramatically changed, such as PTEN, PIP3, AKT, p-AKT, Bax and Bcl-2. Our findings indicate that down-regulation of miR-155 significantly inhibits proliferation, migration, invasion and promotes apoptosis through PTEN singaling pathway in psoriasis cells. miR-155 might function as an oncogene miRNA in the progress of psoriasis."

"We conducted a case-control study among members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) born between 1980 and 2003 to determine the prevalence of immune-mediated conditions in individuals with autism, investigate whether these conditions occur more often than expected, and explore the timing of onset relative to autism diagnosis. Cases were children and young adults with at least two autism diagnoses recorded in outpatient records (n=5,565). Controls were children without autism randomly sampled at a ratio of 5 to 1, matched to cases on birth year, sex, and length of KPNC membership (n=27,825). The main outcomes - asthma, allergies, and autoimmune diseases - were identified from KPNC inpatient and outpatient databases. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate case-control differences. Allergies and autoimmune diseases were diagnosed significantly more often among children with autism than among controls (allergy: 20.6% vs. 17.7%, Crude odds ratio (OR) = 1.22, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13 – 1.31; autoimmune disease: 1% vs. 0.76%, OR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.01 – 1.83), and asthma was diagnosed significantly less often (13.7% vs. 15.9%; OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.76 – 0.90). Psoriasis occurred more than twice as often in cases than in controls (0.34% vs. 0.15%; OR =2.35, 95% CI 1.36 – 4.08). Our results support previous observations that children with autism have elevated prevalence of specific immune-related comorbidities."

Genes of note
"Many ASD-associated genes are particularly expressed and associated within the IS include, APP, BCL11A, KLC1, ETS1, MET, IL1RN, NDRG1, NGF, TNF and VEGF (Table 5). These genes are receptors (APP, MET, IL1RN), involved in angiogenesis (NDRG1, VEGF), cell maintenance and development (BCL11A, KLC1, NGF,) and inflammation (ETS1, TNF). APP, ETS1, TNF and VEGF may be of a particular interest. APP encodes for the amyloid beta precursor protein, which is highly expressed in neurons and glial cells [49-51]. However, APP products also have a functional role, including synaptic adhesion, neuroprotective properties and antimicrobial functions [52-54]. APP transport in the brain is mediated by subunits formed by KLC1 molecules [55]. ETS1 encodes for ETS proto-oncogene 1, a transcription factor that has roles in inflammation and chemokine and cytokine activation particularly in endothelial cells and links to reactive microglia [56,57]. ETS-1 has been shown to co-localise with VEGF, TNF and APP products in the brain [57]. Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) are a family associated with endothelial cell regulation and angiogenesis, even influencing the blood-brain barrier (BBB) [58,59]. Notably, VEGF appears to be able to alter the permeability of the BBB, and can increase permeability and cause breakdown [59-61]. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a proinflammatory cytokine and is implicated in numerous functions and pathologies. TNF is implicated in inflammation and can affect the permeability of the BBB [62]. Of the streptococcal-associated genes, autoantibody targets MAG and MBP are the most prominent. MAG encodes for myelin-associated glycoprotein, a membrane protein that inhibits nerve regeneration [63]. MBP encodes for myelin basic protein, which is a major protein of the myelin sheath and has a regulatory role in myelination [64].

Potential mechanism

Our vision of how streptococcal infections can cause ASD in children is presented in Figure 7. Alterations in ETS1, TNF or VEGF functions, or their combination can decrease the permeability of the BBB and leave an individual vulnerable to toxic or autoimmune components developed due to an infection. Mutations may not act directly upon these genes but may affect their expression and protein proliferation [65,66]. This may be a result of mutations in promoter regions or polymorphisms in cytokines (TNF) or may be an upstream molecule [67-69]. VEGF and ETS1 have been associated with TNF in Alzheimer’s disease [57]; therefore, we can conceive that they work functionally together in the brain. ETS1 and VEGF can induce microglial activity towards increased TNF production [57,70-72]. Additionally VEGF expression in astrocytes, a component of the BBB, can induce the BBB breakdown [73], supported by a streptococcal- induced inflammation. Streptococcal infections produce autoantibodies against MAG and MBP. With a weakened BBB, anti-MAG and anti-MBP can travel across and target developing neurones for destruction by immune cells able to cross the weakened BBB. In fact, thinner myelination has been reported in some areas of the brain in ASD, such as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), as well as a high density of thinly myelinated neurons when compared to controls [74]. OFC abnormalities have already been associated with ASD and it is speculated that a decrease in myelin may mean that longer axons that provide the cross talk for emotion-based behaviors are less efficient [75,76]. From the other hand, neurite overgrowth found in ASD patients [77,78] may be explained by MAG (inhibitor of neurite regrowth) immuno- inhibition."

Conclusions

From published and our study it is clear that there is overlap within the IS and NS functions that may be responsible for synergism in inheritable and environmental components in aetiology of a number of neuro-psychiatric disorder, and ASD, in particular. APP, BCL11A, KLC1, ETS1, MET, IL1RN, NDRG1, NGF, TNF, VEGF, HSPD1, MAG and MBP proteins are likely candidates to affect susceptibility to the environmental component. What is notable is that many of these genes were identified to have roles in the developing brain, reflecting the paediatric nature. Despite a proposed theory (Figure 7), uncertainties remain as to how some of these genes may interact to affect ASD. We suggest that APP, HSPD1, MET and NDRG1 may be implicated in the reaction caused by the autoantibodies. Those would be ideal candidates to investigate further using experimental methods in animal models or to be tested for in cases of PANDAS or more profound ASD cases in children."

A personal correction I have long ignored. I don't know if any have see a holistic connection of all the things I have posted though a couple of associations I posed never panned out. Yet, I posted one clear error and only have my indiscretion to thank for doing so.

This association did prove fruitful, but not via the gene I listed as a description. I posted this:

Autism multiplex family with 16p11.2p12.2 microduplication syndrome in monozygotic twins and distal 16p11.2 deletion in their brother

"The results of the SNP arrays were confirmed by qPCR (Figure 2b). In patients 2 and 3, the qPCR confirmed the duplication of VWA3A located at 16p12.1, and NUPR1, LAT, and ALDOA located at 16p11.2, with normal dosage of the genes flanking the rearranged region. In patient 1 and the father, both NUPR1 and LAT were deleted."

"Of the other eight genes contained in the minimal deleted region, three are involved in autosomal recessive disorders (TUFM, ATP2A, CD19), three are involved in immunity (NFATC2IP, LAT, ATXN2L), RABEP2 has a role in membrane trafficking, and little is known about the function of SPNS1 (Supplementary Table 4). SH2B1 haploinsufficiency, already implicated in central nervous system-mediated obesity,24 could also participate in neurodevelopmental and other phenotypes. The widely expressed scaffold protein SH2B1 binds to a variety of ligand-activated receptor tyrosine kinases, including the receptors for nerve growth factor, insulin and insulin-growth factor 1. SH2B1 facilitates glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor-induced neurite outgrowth through RET receptor signaling.28 Through its implication in the RET-glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor signaling pathway, SH2B1 could also have a role in the abnormalities of renal morphogenesis and enteric innervation seen in patients with distal 16p11.2 deletions.26"

Just a bit on mir-155. Many others mir's have their part, but this one is particularly involved. It is a inflammatory mediator. When I found it effected the blood brain barrier the other things I had learned about mad a lot more sense. A lot to learned from the reports in the sidebar, pls reading all of these two reports.

"As mentioned before, numerous factors are implicated in vessel growth. Among these factors, angiotensin II (Ang II), the main effector peptide of the renin-angiotensin system, appears to be implicated in the regulation of the angiogenic process92. ANG II has been shown to work through both type 1 (AT1R) and type 2 (AT2R) receptors, which display opposing vasomotor and angiogenic actions93. AT1R receptor activation is known to stimulate vascular growth and microvascular angiogenesis in nonneural tissues such as skeletal and cardiac muscle, whereas AT2R activation was recently shown to antagonize these actions94. miR-155 is expressed in ECs and VSMC20,95 and has been shown to specifically interacts with the 3′UTR of the human AT1R mRNA, thereby reducing the endogenous expression of the hAT1R and consequently Ang II signaling95. Translational repression by miR-155 provides yet another mechanism by which AT1R expression can be modulated. In this regard, it has been reported that Ang II induces in a dose dependent manner the expression VEGFR2 and significantly enhances VEGF-induced cell proliferation and tube formation, mediated by AT1 receptor96 and suggesting that AT1 receptor may contribute to the development of diabetic retinopathy by enhancing VEGF-induced angiogenic activity. Then, the downregulation of AT1R by miR-155 suggest an antiangiogenic function for this miRNA in ECs. However, its role in EC angiogenesis has not been specifically addressed. Stimulation of human fibroblast with transforming growth factor β-1 (TGF-β1) decreased the expression of miR-155 and increased the expression of hAT1R. Furthermore, miR-155 is induced in macrophages by cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α) and interferon β (IFNβ)97. Interestingly, angiogenic stimulation of EC with VEGF increases the expression of miR-15520 suggesting VEGF may control the levels of ATR1 via miR-155. Nevertheless, the oncogenic potential of miR-155 has been confirmed in mice, where its overproduction leads to spontaneous B-cell malignancy, showing the complexity of miRNA-mediated regulation, given that the same miRNA may have opposite effects in different biological contexts."

Having a retro phase after mentioning methionine two posts back. The research that followed led information about these matters as succinctly put on 2005 in the link below. I need to keep these things in mind. Many of you know this I am sure.